Create Your Own Homemade Body Scrub

Body scrubs are perfect for exfoliation, removing dead skin cells, and keeping your skin looking fresh and healthy. The downfall: they can also be extremely costly. But there's good news! Body scrubs are easy to make and you likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry.

The Base

Homemade body scrubs always start with a base of sugar and oil. The sugar can be any type you'd like from raw sugar to brown sugar—each have their own smell and feel. Next, add the oil. Many prefer using coconut oil for its many benefits, but you can also substitute with olive oil. While canola oil and vegetable oil can work, these oils are not as beneficial and enjoyable on the skin as coconut oil and olive oil.

Once you have your base, simply throw in whatever you'd like. If you're a coffee fan, a ground coffee scrub is the perfect way to start your day. You can also add food colorings and various essential oils from peppermint to lemon. There is no limit to your creativity!

Mix It Up

To get you started, here are a few of our favorite mixtures:

• Sugar + Smashed Banana + Coconut Oil
• Brown Sugar + Orange Essential Oil + Olive Oil
• Brown Sugar + Honey + Olive Oil
• Sugar + Lavender Essential Oil + Vanilla Extract + Olive Oil
• Brown Sugar + Cinnamon + Coconut Oil
• Sugar + Raspberry Extract + Olive Oil
• Sugar + Peppermint Essential Oil + Olive Oil

Use the body scrub in the shower or bath or while washing your hands—the smell is glorious and your skin will feel amazing. It also makes a perfect addition to a guest bathroom, so don't be surprised when guests beg for the recipe.

Basic Body Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 10 drops essential oil
• food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Simply mix the ingredients together to desired consistency (you may want to add more oil or sugar depending on preference). If using olive oil, start small, you don't want to leave an oily residue. If you feel as though you may have added too much oil, simply balance it out by adding more sugar.

Once you have added your essential oils and food coloring, simply store in a mason jar. To save a few dollars, keep jelly jars and salsa jars on hand for this recipe. Simply clean the jars and store them in your pantry until you are ready to use them. For the recipe featured below, we simply added lemon essential oils and yellow food coloring. Again, you can add as much or as little essential oils as you'd like. You can also skip the food coloring entirely if you desire. If you do use food coloring, it will stain your hands while mixing but it will not come off on your body when you use the body scrub.

This can keep in a sealed jar for several months, so be sure to make a good size batch. It also works as a great gift idea too, attach a notecard with the recipe and it's a gift that keeps on giving.